Elysium's Bed of Thorns

The Dark Mother's Death

    It's too bright... damn...I wish I wasn't here. I was quietly walking through the bright city of Gabriel making sure to keep my head down and my hood up. My feet trembled walking through such a holy city, I could hear each step ring through my ears as though the town were silent. My hood could only help me so much with the pain, But I just have to make it around the corner, then I can finish the assignment and leave this hellish place. I sped up as the sweat beaded off my forehead, I rounded the corner and I saw my Target. He was an older man with obvious signs of aging around his eyes and mouth, he was frail and walked with a limp but what stood out the most were his rings. His gaudy rings reeked of greed and desire, It made my insides churn with rage to see him act so kind even though he was filthy with sin.

   I hid between two large buildings and waited until he was walking alone, when he was close enough I slit my wrist and let my blood drip down for a few seconds and wrapped it in a leather bandage that was blessed by the dark mother. Moments later he stumbled around the corner to me looking flushed and sweating heavily, he fell to his knees and looked at me as though he was in a trance. He licked my blood off the ground like it was wine made by the gods, I felt my stomach clench feeling disgusted watching him lick my blood in such a manner. I glared at him and stepped on his neck, with a bit of pressure I snapped his neck under my boot as though it were a dead leaf in autumn. I quickly gathered myself and left through a backway into the woods.

   You're probably confused. Why did I kill him? Why did he become foggy after I slit my wrist? Why was I there in the first place? All of these are good questions and the answer is long. Where we live is called Bilancia or the land of sin by the holy city, We are primarily founded on the balance of pleasure and survival. We believe in living life to its fullest in a way that does not harm others. Our goddess made this land for us, we call her Dark Mother but her real name is Callisto. She was born of the moon her body held life itself within, they said her scent was intoxicating enough to make anyone fall to their knees in front of her, and her eyes shone a bright white as though they were full moons, she was beauty in its purest form.

    One day she met another deity he was as bright as the sun and his smile as warm as the rays. His eyes held a certain coldness though, he always had a look of false love, as though he was hiding himself. This god's name was Sola, he was her opposite in every way but one, the ability to create life. He was born of the sun, with bright blond hair and glowing yellow eyes. He scorched the ground beneath him as he walked, he was more proud than any other being the goddess had met. One day the god became bored of the quiet world and asked the goddess if she would help him, She was unsure at first but in the end, she agreed. He wanted animals, all shapes and sizes, enough for him to hunt and have fun during the long days. The goddess agreed and made animals for him for water and land, and some were only up at night. He was thrilled, he begged to add some touches and release them the goddess allowed it. The god had a very sick sense of humor, so he flooded their heads with thoughts of malice until it was driven into their very instincts to kill or be killed because he wanted to be entertained.

    When the goddess saw the beautiful creatures that she made with love turn against each other and kill each other, she wept, it's said that her tears flooded the land for 3 days, but her tears gave birth to something beautiful and terrifying. Her tears made rivers and gave life to trees of all kinds, the world thrived from her pain. When the god saw what her pain could make, his cold eyes burned with greed and obsession. He apologized to her and seemed like he truly meant it, he offered to help her make another creature, one that she could talk with more freely and in the image of them. She agreed, she wanted to trust the young god. So then they came together and made humans. The goddess was so thrilled by what we came out as the god became jealous, he wanted her smile to only be his. So when the goddess rested, he repeated what he did with the animals to us. We took in more though, we became full of malice that we could hide in a terrifying way. When the goddess let us go into our new home we seemed loving and kind like she wanted us to be, until we grew, Once we grew in population she started to see the corruption. We waged wars on each other for land, enslaved one another, and even raped each other. 

    When the goddess saw this she became enraged. She grabbed the god and asked why he would do this, knowing that it would hurt her. All he said was how beautiful her tears are, the goddess began to shake in rage and made two daggers that were filled with enough power to kill a god a hundred times. She stabbed one into his chest and ran away, he chased her with his spear, enraged by her actions. He tossed his spear at her, and it pierced her heart. She lay in a field, her blood turning into stars, he kneeled before her and looked down at her in pain. 

      the goddess in her final attempt to finish what she started thrust her second dagger into his chest making sure to go through his heart. He just grinned and staggered away into the distance. With the last of her strength, she made her body into land and her hair into a waterfall that will never dry. She made a safe haven for humans and animals that could resist the greedy god and live to the fullest. She put her soul into a human vessel to write down the history we know, and when she left the vessel she told him that she will be re-born, and when she is so will the god. "It's up to fate if we love or hate each other though." and with that Bilancia was created.

      All the children around me Gasped when I finished and asked a million questions. "Maki! What's the holy city called? Is It full of people like Sola?" a little girl yelled while hanging from my arm, I giggled when she called me Maki since it means big sister. In a motherly tone, I responded. "Elysium, the holy city calls itself Elysium." I walked the kids out of my small cottage that sat slightly near the outskirts of the city and guided them back to their homes one by one, Once it was just me and the little girl I held her hand and walked her home. She stopped a few feet from her house and looked at me. "Maki...if we are supposed to live good and not hurt each other... why did you hurt the old man?" her eyes looked sad, as though she thought I was going to be punished. I just lifted her in my arms and cradled her. "Sometimes the people from Elysium become greedy like the mean god...and when that happens they come to our land and hurt us...that old man I hurt today was trying to bring his friends to hurt us," I said brushing tears from her eyes. She nodded seemingly relieved that she was safe. I put her down and walked her to her mom. I can't help but feel bad when I walk away, a child should not have to worry about having her home taken from her by greedy men.